Linebacker Jarvis Jones (29) playing for Georgia during the 2012 season.Associated Press

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns have just about completed their organizational shake-up, a process which was set in motion when Jimmy Haslam took over team ownership in October.

Among the first orders of business for the new leadership team is preparation for the April 25-27 NFL draft. Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage will track the build-up to the draft for the Browns, who are scheduled to make the sixth pick in the first round. Browns coverage today includes Joey Morona's second edition of Browns uniform designs submitted by fans, and Mary Kay Cabot's report that Browns CEO Joe Banner told Sports Illustrated that hiring Chip Kelly as coach would have been too big a gamble.

Following its first round pick at No. 6, Cleveland -- barring a trade -- will not have a second-rounder. The Browns surrendered that to acquire wide receiver Josh Gordon in the NFL supplemental draft. For now, the Browns' second selection will be the sixth pick in the third round.

There will be literally thousands of mock drafts over the next three months. The flurry has begun. No one of them means much more than the others, though some have less credibility than most. Regardless, most of the early mock drafts predict that the Browns will take a defensive player at No. 6.

Chances are that the Browns will go to a 3-4 defense. They need help at outside linebacker whether they stay with the 4-3, switch to the 3-4 or often employ some type of hybrid of the two. That likely makes the Browns curious about a player such as Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Currently, ESPN's Mel Kiper has Jones going to the Detroit Lions at No. 5. When Jones declared for the draft on Jan. 5, David Ching wrote for ESPN.com:

Kiper rates Jones as the No. 1 prospect in the draft in his updated player rankings released Wednesday. He wrote of the Bulldogs' standout: "Explosive, disciplined, relentless edge rusher who profiles as a 3-4 OLB and doesn't need to come off the field. A quick first step, violent hands, tackles well and closes fast. Solid against the run and can really cover."

McShay listed Jones at No. 6 in his most recent rankings, noting that, "He is a good overall athlete and top-notch pass-rusher, has impressive range in pass coverage and against the run, and can line up all over the defensive formation."

It's that ability to contribute in a variety of ways that Georgia defensive coordinator and former NFL coordinator Todd Grantham said will serve Jones well at the next level.

"I've been around some pretty good 'backers -- DeMarcus Ware, (Anthony) Spencer -- and he's definitely up there with those guys," said Grantham, who previously coached with the Dallas Cowboys. "He brings a little different flavor to what he does. He can set the edge in the run game. He's got the ability to rush the passer. He's got some instincts. He can get his hands on balls. He had a pick against Missouri and he actually batted a ball (against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl) in coverage.

"So I think he kind of has his own little flavor and I think he'll be pretty dynamic at whatever he chooses to do."

NFL doctors will check Jones for the spinal stenosis he was diagnosed with while at Southern California. USC doctors didn't clear him to play, prompting his transfer to Georgia. The condition, so far, has not seemed to affect the quality of Jones' play.
The blog WaitingForNextYear claims that Jones' draft value could slide. It could be a back-and-forth matter, as so many individual draft issues become, until decisions are made on April 25.

Browns story links

Is there a change in thinking on whether to vote for Art Modell for the Hall of Fame? Modell, who died on Sept. 6, was the Browns owner from 1961 until moving the team to Baltimore following the 1995 season. (By Jamison Hensley, ESPN.com)

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